Prologue

Kazmiyah wanted to surprise her boyfriend-it was their third anniversary.

Usually, he was the one who planned everything, always full of surprises, but this time, she wanted to do something special. Since she had been busy with a mission, wala siyang masyadong oras these past few weeks, but today, she made time.

She prepared the gifts, bought a small cake, and even ordered take-out food so they could celebrate together. She didn't text him. He said he would visit her tonight for their date, so she decided to beat him to it. First, she went to his office, but one of his coworkers told her he had gone on half-day leave.

"Siguro naghahanda siya ng sorpresa para sa akin," she thought with a smile as she stood in front of his house.

Being an expert, picking a lock wasn't exactly difficult.

She entered quietly, heart light and full of anticipation. But as she stepped further inside, a sound made her stop in her tracks.

Laughter. Moaning. The unmistakable sounds of pleasure.

She froze.

Dahan-dahan siyang umakyat ng hagdan. Her heart pounded as she noticed clothes scattered on the steps, leading to the bedroom. Her knees felt weak.

Is this even real?

Her eyes widened as she stood by the half-open door.

There they were.

Her boyfriend.

And her sister.

Together.

Doing something she never imagined she'd ever have to witness.

The first thing that came to her mind: kill them both. She could. She was trained. It wouldn't be difficult.

But she wouldn't stoop to their level.

Jace noticed her first. His eyes widened in panic as he scrambled to cover himself with a blanket. Her sister, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. She smiled - like she was proud. Like she wasn't even ashamed.

"Kaz, this is a mistake," Jace stammered, trying to hide behind the blanket.

"I didn't know you were enjoying yourselves like this," she said coldly, her voice shaking. "With my sister? Really, Jace? On our anniversary? Bakit? Dahil ba hindi ko pa binibigay 'yon sa'yo? Di ka makapaghintay? Sa kapatid ko pa talaga?! Nakakadiri ka!"

She turned to her sister. "At ikaw! Wala ka man lang hiya? Boyfriend ng kapatid mo pinatulan mo? Nakakasuka ka."

Tears fell, but her voice stayed sharp.

Jace tried to move closer. "I'm sorry... I-I got tempted. You couldn't give me what I needed. But your sister-she could. I love you, you know that, right?"

She laughed bitterly. "No, Jace. You don't love me. Stop lying to me."

Then her sister chimed in with venom in her voice. "Bakit ka ba nagagalit? Di mo nga maibigay pangangailangan niya. At least ako, kaya ko. You're so hard, kaz. You expected him to stay loyal? Dream on."

Pak!

She slapped her sister hard. Her sister didn't even cover herself-just looked her in the eye, smiling smugly.

"Masakit ba? Masakit ba malaman na habang anniversary niyo, ako ang kinakama niya?" her sister said proudly. "Di ka ba na-inform? For three years, I was with him all along Satisfieng his needs"

"You can have him," Kaz said, her voice low, deadly calm. "I don't care anymore. Pero kahit anong gawin mo, 'di naging kayo. Pang-kama ka lang. Ako, kahit hindi mo makama, legal pa rin akong girlfriend niya. Ngayon? Hindi na. Sa'yo na siya. Enjoy."

She turned her back on them and walked away. Her hands were trembling, her heart in pieces. How long has this been going on? Was I that blind? Was I not worth waiting for?

She got into her car and sped off, heading to the bar owned by her close friend. It only opened at night, but she knew her friend would be in the office.

When she arrived, the guard tried to stop her, but once he recognized her, he stepped aside.

She entered and went straight to the counter. No bartender yet. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured herself a drink.

She drank in silence.

One glass.

Two.

Three.

Her tolerance was high - she was trained, after all. But the pain? There was no training for that.

She lost track of time.

And when the morning light filtered in through the windows...

She woke up in someone else's bed, instincts sharp, pulse steady. The man beside me breathed slow and deep

Napansin niya ang kislap ng bakal sa mesa. Baril. Hindi ordinaryo. Modified.

She should’ve been terrified.

Instead, she was electrified. Every warning screamed in her mind, but her body remembered the heat, the control, the power.

He was danger wrapped in human form.

Realization hit her.

She had given myself to him.

The irony twisted like a knife in my chest.

I’d spent years mastering control, building walls, reading threats before they moved—and yet one night, one reckless moment, I handed my power to a stranger.

To him.